Green Glam

In the remote high country of northern Kenya, where peaks sacred to the Samburu people jut into the sky, The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille feels like a world apart. You gaze out over 6,500 acres of acacia, fig and fever trees spread across the rocky hills. Off on the horizon craggy, snow-covered Mt. Kenya stands like a sentinel.

The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille is Kenya's newest lodge, offering luxurious amenities which include four stunning, fully staffed houses, each individually decorated and surrounded by a courtyard, garden and lawn. You can dine on exquisite cuisine prepared by an international chef as you lounge beneath billowing canvas by the stunning "horizon" swimming pool, or treat yourself to massage, aromatherapy or reflexology treatments at the spa.

In the plush club room known as the Library (a rotunda with a stained glass dome), guests gather by the fireside to chat or climb up to a bar-equipped rooftop deck, where a GPS-controlled telescope brings the heavens to earth.

Each house is served by a butler/cook, a valet/housekeeper, a driver with his own safari vehicle and a guide. The houses are equipped with Apple iPods and powered speakers pre-loaded with hundreds of great tracks (you can have your own CDs transferred as well). Meanwhile, if you need to stay in touch, you will have high-speed satellite broadband and a site-wide wireless network at your disposal.

This exquisite property is the result of a visionary partnership between the African Wildlife Foundation, the Laikipiak Maasai of the Kijabe Group Ranch, USAID and a private investor. The local Maasai community owns The Santuary at Ol Lentille and the surrounding Ol Lentille Conservancy in a long-term partnership with Regenesis, a company operated by John and Gill Elias for eco-tourism, conservation and community development.

ome 100 Maasai owner-partners helped in constructing The Sanctuary, and many work there as staff members or conservation personnel. Meanwhile, local Maasai women are collaborating with Regenesis to build small businesses centered around their traditional culture and handicrafts.

You may want to visit a nearby manyatta (village) to learn about Maasai culture and witness the songs and dance of the women and the warrior group. The Maasai can share their knowledge of local medicinal herbs, traditional cooking, childcare practices, house-building techniques, animal husbandry, musical instrument and weapons making. Visitors support the women when they purchase beads and other artifacts.
You may want to visit a nearby manyatta (village) to learn about Maasai culture and witness the songs and dance of the women and the warrior group. The Maasai can share their knowledge of local medicinal herbs, traditional cooking, childcare practices, house-building techniques, animal husbandry, musical instrument and weapons making. Visitors support the women when they purchase beads and other artifacts.

If you can pull yourself away from this lap of luxury, you can enjoy horseback riding, camel trekking, mountain biking, rock climbing and walking, game tracking, light aircraft and helicopter trips and 4-wheel-drive excursions. The area is home to the endangered African wild dog, greater kudu, leopards, striped and spotted hyenas and klipspringer.

A visit to The Santuary at Ol Lentille could very well lead to a lifelong love affair with Africa and its people. Guests are encouraged to get involved with community projects with local residents, and the Kijabe community has formed a charitable trust to attract donor and investor funds and to allocate funding to community projects ranging from livestock husbandry and conservation security to bursary programs for talented young people.

Going green does not mean you have to sacrifice style and comfort - a whole new breed of eco-chic has emerged with an amazing vision that is sure to succeed!

Read more Ol Lentille details online (chick here).